Dr. Fornoni is a Professor of Medicine, Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, and Biochemistry at the
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is the Chief of the Katz Family Division of Nephrology
and Hypertension. She also serves as the Director and Chair of the Peggy and Harold Katz Drug Discovery
Center. Dr. Fornoni gained experience in drug development at Hoffman-La Roche in Basel, and she is the
funding scientist of several start-up companies. Her research is supported by grants from the NIH, industry,
and private foundations. She has received prestigious awards; among them, she is a member of the
American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI, 2017), the Association of American Physicians (AAP, 2021),
and the Florida Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (ASEMFL, 2023). She is the Deputy Editor
of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology and the Scientific Chair of the 2024 World Congress
of Nephrology. Recipient of multiple mentorship awards, her trainees occupy leadership roles in multiple
academic institutions around the globe. Her role as Co-Director of the MD/Ph.D. MSTP program, the CTSI
KL2 program, and the Director of an NIH-funded summer school of Nephrology strongly reflect her interest
and passion in mentoring students and junior faculty toward a successful academic career. Through her
pioneering work on insulin signaling, cholesterol metabolism, and sphingolipid-related pathways, Dr.
Fornoni uncovered novel pathogenetic mechanisms and therapeutic approaches for glomerular disorders
that have successfully translated into ongoing clinical trials.